Ergonomically shaped hand held device

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed towards a hand held scrubber or polisher possessing an ergonomically designed handle, a base plate to which the handle is attached, and a cleaning element that can be removed and replaced. The invention provides for a device that can be used with both comfort and efficiency, in the process of cleaning. Both the handle and the cleaning element can be changed for varying jobs or after they become worn or uncomfortable.

THE FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to the field of using hand held devicesfor cleaning, scouring and polishing a variety of surfaces that can befound in household, commercial, industrial or hospital applications,including utensils, floors, walls, ceilings, and other various flat orcurved surfaces. The typical hand held cleaning devices often sufferfrom a lack of a proper ergonomic design and the lack of a replaceablecleaning surface. The object of this invention, therefore, is to providea more efficient hand held cleaning instrument that is both easier andmore comfortable to use, as well as being less wasteful of material thatwould have to be discarded.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A major drawback with use of conventional hand held cleaning andpolishing devices arises from their being generally more effective themore “elbow grease”, or the more pressure, that is applied. This“pressure” must typically be applied for relatively long periods of timewhile a circular or back and forth motion is used. People cleaning orpolishing with conventional, non-ergonomic handled devices tire andblister more easily than they would using an ergonomic device, andtherefore cannot uniformly maintain their maximum potential pressure onthe device surface during the entire cleaning or polishing stroke andcannot clean or polish with optimum efficiency. Therefore, the need fora cleaning device with an ergonomically shaped handle can be seen.

[0003] Another important drawback with use of conventional hand heldcleaning devices is that in the course of cleaning various surfaces allsuch devices receive a great deal of pressure and wear on their cleaningsurface. This wear can cause the device to loose its efficacy during anyperiod of extended use and require frequent replacement. Having toreplace the entire cleaning instrument, including its otherwise stillfunctional handle, is unnecessarily costly as well as environmentallyundesirable. Therefore, the need for a cleaning device with areplaceable cleaning surface can be seen.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 3,090,064 to Garret describes a cleaning devicewith a handle for detachable scouring pads that are made from steelwool, brass wool, plastic or the like. A device has been described whichhas a vertical handle fixed to a circular base in which attachment ofthe scouring pad is achieved by employing a series of teeth like metalprongs attached to the bottom of the base in a circular fashion near itsperimeter. The prongs are bent parallel to the base so that they canpenetrate and hold a scouring pad which is pressed against the base androtated in a direction toward the points of the teeth. The teeth orprongs, being large in size and few in number, are unsuitable forpenetrating and holding softer cleaning pads such as sponges and feltpads. This method of attachment which employs horizontal teeth alsosuffers from the disadvantage that the scouring pads can come looseduring the application of the circular motions and horizontal forcesfrequently applied during scouring and cleaning flat surfaces. Thehandle of the prior art is vertical and therefore not ergonomicallycorrect for the constant pressure required during the use of the device.A handle of this kind will force the user to grasp it and apply pressurein an unnatural direction. The present invention allows the user tograsp the handle with a hand orientation similar to that which is usedto scrub with a pad that does not have a handle.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 3,346,904 to Armstrong teaches the use ofdetachable felt pads placed on the polishing heads of glass polishingmachinery. The means of attachment described involves attaching atextile fabric or sheet, which presents numerous, upstanding loops offlexible, resilient fiber that has been cut to form hooks, to thepolishing heads of glass polishing machinery. Such hooks being capableof engaging numerous uncut, upstanding loops hanging from a woventextile sheet affixed to the back of a felt polishing pad by means ofstitching, stapling or an adhesive. The flexible, resilient nature andlarge number of the hooks and loops permits engagement and disengagementwhen they are pressed together or pulled apart. Other features of thisinvention include the pad covering substantially the same area as thepolishing head, as well as the center of the polishing head, and thecenter of the sheet on the back of the pad being left open andunattached so that the felt pad can move up and down providing a pumpingaction when the head is raised or lowered on the glass being polished.The open, unattached area beneath the pad is accomplished either byusing ring shaped sheets, open at their centers, on the head and thepad, or by using a series of radially extending, opposing strips andpatches angularly arranged on the pad and head, rather than a continuoussheet covering the entire surface of each. This device is intended foruse in a factory setting, on a fixed floor or bench-mounted machine topolish movable glass objects and not for manual cleaning or polishing.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,705 to Graham describes a hand held, manuallyoperated cleaning device or applicator with a detachable cleaning pad. Adevice is described which employs, for the purposes of cleaning padattachment to the applicator, a multiplicity of small, spaced apartimpaling spikes, or points, integrally molded with and part of theotherwise flat surface of the applicator's head. These points or spikesare further described as having outwardly extending burrs at their tips,extending at roughly right angles to the spikes, which are able topenetrate and engage a layer of fibers on one side of the cleaning padwhen pressed against it. These burrs thereby prevent the lateralmovement of the pad. A feature of this device is its spikes or pointswith extending burs being a molded part of the applicator head asopposed to being attached to the head with an adhesive, as part of aseparate sheet. A significant limitation lies in the handle design whichis described as elongated, therefore only being capable of being graspedfrom the side, and also its dependence for flexibility of motion on theuse of a pivot. This pivot only provides flexibility in its back andforth motion and would be difficult to use in the circular or side toside motions required for effective cleaning, scouring and polishing.The pad described for use with this device is only a two-layer padincluding the layer of fibers for attachment. The present inventionallows for both a wider range of motion, and a thicker more durable pad.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,659 to Paepke describes a circular hand held,manually operated cleaning device with an essentially flat topped handleprojecting from the top surface of the device's base. The handle iscontoured so that the handle narrows as it approaches the base, therebypresenting a channel between its flat top and the base to accept atleast part of a thumb and a finger. The handle is therefore capable ofbeing grasped by the hand when the palm is placed across its essentiallyflat top, which has also been hollowed out to create an opening in whichto fit a frictionally fitting, elongated extension handle. The devicealso employs detachable pads, that are attachable to the bottom surfaceof the device's flat base, which has glued to it a circular sheetbearing a plurality of hook like elements. These hooks are capable ofattachment to a looped fastener fabric, which is in turn attached, byadhesive or otherwise, to a water absorbent sponge. Attachment thereforeoccurs much in the same manner as when “Velcro” is employed to obtainattachment. The hooks are also described as being capable of directattachment to the loops of a stainless steel loose curled sponge. Thisdevice is limited in its use because its flat top becomes uncomfortablewhen a person who is grasping it has to apply any significant amount ofdownward pressure and use it for a long period of time. The extensionhandle is also limited; because its angle to the cleaning surface limitsthe downward pressure it can accept.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,869 to Agosto discloses an Ergonomic CleaningApparatus with Multiple Cleaning Surfaces that is in the shape of apyramid or tetrahedron and has a tetrahedral shaped core, which is madeof a squeezable fluid absorbing substance such as sponge. Multipletriangular shaped and replaceable scrubbing surfaces are attached to thevarious faces of the core. The scrubbing surface is attached to the corewith hot glue for permanency, stitching, as well the trademarked product“Velcro” which make these surfaces easily detachable. The scrubbingsurfaces contemplated include different types of scouring pads, terrycloth, copper wool, steel wool and various sponge materials. Thedisadvantages of the device are several. The tetrahedral shape, composedof triangular pieces, does not adequately conform to the inner surfaceof the grasping hand reducing hand comfort and efficiency. Thedetachable feature of these cleaning surfaces, being mounted on arelatively soft and malleable core, are a further limitation since theyare being directly held by the grasping hand and, therefore, are moreprone to detachment as the hand moves back and forth during cleaningstrokes. The user's hand being in more direct contact with any detergentor other fluids on these surfaces, as carried by the absorbent core,will necessitate the user's wearing of protective gloves at essentiallyall times.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,749 to Zayas discloses a hand held devicewith a detachable sponge exclusively designed for applying and removing,from the skin, topical compositions such as makeup, lotions and otherbeauty aids. Its object is to provide a sanitary and pleasurable meansfor applying and removing such cosmetic materials. It is described asconsisting of a handle, a base, a sponge and a cap that can fit over thesponge when it is not in use. The handle, the purpose of which is saidto be precision, is elongated, projecting from the base at any anglefrom 0 to 180 degrees, with 30 to 60 degrees preferred. The replaceablesponge is attached to the bottom of the base by means of the spongehaving on one of its sides one part of a two component fastening device,such as a clip, snap or “Velcro” (hook and loop material) strip. Theother part of the fastening device is attached to the center of thebottom of the base of the handle. When the sponge is attached to thebase and not in use, it can be covered by the cap, which fits into slotson the outer perimeter of the base. When a “Velcro” strip fixed to thebase is used for attachment, it is described as being an approximately0.5 inch square on an approximately 1.5 inch square base. The surfacearea provided for attachment of the cleaning sponge is smaller than thesponge surface, and the elongated handle has no ergonomic features, asdoes the present invention. The Zayas invention is designed primarilyfor precision and is not useful for heavier duty cleaning for which thepresent invention is designed.

[0010] The prior art does not attempt to solve the problems that thepresent invention is designed to answer. The present invention isdirected towards an ergonomically shaped hand scrubber with areplaceable cleaning surface. The present invention provides a morecomfortable, economical, and efficient surface cleaning device. Itshould be clear to one skilled in the art, that the, above discussed,prior art is used for the purposes of illustration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] It is an object of the present invention to provide for anergonomically shaped hand held cleaning device.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide for anergonomically shaped hand held cleaning device comprising anergonomically shaped handle, wherein said handle is connected to a baseplate.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide for anergonomically shaped hand held cleaning device comprising a detachablecleaning member that can be changed without changing said handle.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide for anergonomically shaped hand held cleaning device comprising a detachableconnection between said handle and said cleaning member, wherein saidconnection further comprises T-shaped or hook-like projections.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide for anergonomically shaped hand held cleaning device comprising a connectionbetween said handle and said base plate, wherein said connection allowsfor the comfortable laying of fingers therein.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide for anergonomically shaped hand held cleaning device comprising a connectionbetween said handle and said base plate, wherein said connection allowsfor the removal and replacement of different shaped handles.

[0017] Other objects of the present invention will become apparent fromthe foregoing description. It should be understood by one skilled in theart that the terms and identifications used by the applicant should notbe interpreted as limiting the invention to a particular embodiment orobject described above. Only the prior described above contains possiblelimitations to the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The following description of preferred embodiment of the presentinvention will be better understood when read in conjunction with theappended drawings. It should be understood, however, that the inventionis not limited to the precise arrangements shown in which:

[0019]FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the invention in whichthe handle is in the shape of a sphere.

[0020]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same embodiment as in FIG. 6,without the cleaning member attached.

[0021]FIG. 3 is a side view of the cleaning member unattached to thebase plate.

[0022]FIG. 4 is a top view of the invention looking down on it fromabove in which the top of the ergonomic handle, the base to which it isattached, and the outline of the cleaning member can be seen.

[0023]FIG. 5 is a side view of the invention showing the space betweenthe handle and the base, which is designed to accept at least part ofone or more of the curved fingers of the hand when the handle isgrasped.

[0024]FIG. 6 is an oblique view of the invention as seen from above,looking downward at an angle towards one of its corners.

[0025]FIG. 7 is a view of the invention in which with the handle and thebase to which it is attached is shown as separated from the cleaningmember.

[0026]FIG. 8 is an oblique view of the invention from the same vantagepoint as in FIG. 3 in which the handle and the base are shown asseparated from the cleaning member.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0027] The present invention is a hand held scrubber possessing anergonomically designed handle with means of attachment to a disposablecleaning member such as a sponge, felt pad, scouring pad, polishing pador matte. The means of attachment of the handle to the cleaning memberfurther comprises a base plate, which is attached to the bottom surfaceof the handle by a column that provides sufficient space to accept partof the fingers of a hand grasping the handle. This column is located andconnected to the top surface of the base plate. The base plate has onits bottom surface means of attachment to the top of the cleaningmember. The column and the base plate can be made so as to be permanentparts of the handle or be detachable from it.

[0028]FIGS. 1 and 2 show the preferred embodiment of the inventionwherein said ergonomically correct handle 1 is in the shape of a sphere.The spherical shape of said handle 1, provides for a more comfortablegripping mechanism. Said space 4, between said handle 1 and said baseplate 2, is even greater with the handle 1 in the shape of a sphere.This allows for the fingers of the user's hand to better curl under thehandle 1 and allow said user a better overall grip. FIG. 6 shows theinvention from the side view. In this figure, as well as in FIG. 8, saidcleaning member 3 is seen to be further comprised of an upper attachingsurface 6, a sponge-like inner surface 7, and a coarse cleaning surface8. FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the invention without saidcleaning member 3 attached. Said connecting projections 5 can be seen inthis drawing.

[0029]FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show the ergonomic shaped handle 1 attached tothe approximate center of the top surface of a base plate 2. In FIG. 5,a space 4 between the handle 1 and the base plate 2 is clearly shown,revealing that it is designed to be capable of accepting part of theuser's fingers when grasped from above. This space is created by acolumn 9 that connects the handle to the base plate.

[0030] In FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 5 a cleaning member 3, in these particularviews a sponge, can be seen to be attached to the bottom of the baseplate and extending somewhat beyond the outer perimeter of the base tofacilitate its reaching into corners and under overhanging structures.In FIGS. 2, 7, and 8 the location of means of attachment, such as hooksand T shaped projections 5 that project downward from the handle's baseplate 2 which can be either an integral part of the handle's base plateor attached to it, are shown as well as the location of the surfacebearing a multiplicity of small openings like loops or hooks 6 of thecleaning member or matte 3 to which they are attachable. The inventionis clearly illustrated in FIG. 3 as having a three layered cleaningmember 3 with a strong, fibrous, and relatively coarse surface 8attached to the bottom surface of a softer more fluid absorbent spongepad or matte 7 above which is the small opening containing upper surface6. The advantages this embodiment offers are the ability to offer thesimultaneous use of an efficient scrubbing, scouring, or polishingsurface together with the use of an absorbent material that can take up,hold, and release detergents or other fluids together with a securemeans of attachment to the handle.

[0031] In one embodiment, the handle 1 is made of molded plastic, isroughly oblong in shape, and is designed to have a curved top surfacethat is specifically designed to conform to and to comfortably fit theinside surface of a grasping hand. A space or channel 4 is createdbetween the handle 1 and the base plate 2 by a connecting column 9. Thisspace is capable of accepting at least part of the ends of the fingersof the user's hand when the handle is grasped from above. The space, incombination with the curved surface of the handle, enables the user toobtain both a firm and ergonomically comfortable grip on the invention.The handle 1 is connected through the column to the approximate centerof one side of the base plate 2. By connecting the handle to theapproximate center of the base plate, pressure from the user's hand isdistributed more uniformly across the opposite the side the base plate,to which the cleaning element is attached.

[0032] Attachment of the cleaning element is achieved by a multiplicityof small, relatively stiff, hook-like or T-shaped projections 5. Theseprojections project downwards from the base plate 2 and work inconjunction with the cleaning member 3. The connection side of saidcleaning member 3 is made of a fibrous material that accepts saidprojections, and holds the remainder of the member onto the handle. Thisconnection allows for removal and replacement of the cleaning member 3,when it becomes worn, without replacement of the handle. The cleaningmember 3, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 5, and 6, is of somewhat largerdimensions than that the base plate. These larger dimensions and thefact that it is made of less rigid material than the plate, allow theportions of the cleaning member extending beyond the plate to fit andreach into corners and under overhanging projections.

[0033] The column, the base plate and the hook-like or T shapedprojections are capable of being injection molded out of the sameplastic, in one piece at the same time. This would result in thestrongest connection between the handle and the base plate. This wouldbe more suitable for tough heavy cleaning jobs, where high pressurescrubbing is required. In another embodiment the handle can be madeseparately and attached to the top of the column with a hot meltadhesive. Once again, this provides a strong connection, but also alimited design. In another embodiment, the handle can be connected tothe column through a detachable mechanism such as screw-on or snap-onmeans. The advantage that an interchangeable handle offers is thatcertain handle designs are more suitable for certain tasks. The abilityto change handle design, to match a certain task, can relieve musclestrain and reduce tiring.

[0034] In the foregoing description of the invention, reference to thedrawings, certain terms, have been used for clarity, conciseness andcomprehension. However, no unnecessary limitations are to be impliedfrom or because of the terms used, beyond the requirements of the priorart, because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and areintended to be broadly construed. Furthermore, the description andillustration of the invention are by way of example, and the scope ofthe invention is not limited to the exact details shown, represented, ordescribed.

[0035] While the present invention has been described with reference tospecific embodiments, it is understood that the invention is not limitedbut rather includes any and all changes and modifications thereto whichwould be apparent to those skilled in the art and which come within thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A cleaning device comprising: a. a handle memberincluding a grasping means the top of which is curved throughout andconfigured in such a manner as to closely conform to the curvature ofthe inside of a grasping human hand, when the palm of said hand ispositioned on top of said grasping means, with the fingers flexed in agrasping position; b. a cleaning member; c. means for attachment of saidhandle member to said cleaning member.
 2. The cleaning device accordingto claim 1, wherein the means for attachment of the handle member to thecleaning member is comprised of a column, the top surface of which hasmeans of attachment to the handle member and the bottom surface of whichexpands into the shape of a generally flat plate.
 3. The cleaning deviceaccording to claim 1, in which the handle member including the graspingmeans is comprised of a generally spherical shape.
 4. A cleaning deviceaccording to claim 2, further comprising, a. said attachment meansincluding a multiplicity of small hook-like or T-shaped projections thatare located on the bottom surface of the plate and project in agenerally downward direction, away from the bottom of said plate; and b.a cleaning member having a multiplicity of small openings on its topthat are capable of engaging and attaching to said attachment means onthe bottom surface of said plate, when the plate and the cleaning memberare pressed together.
 5. A cleaning device according to claim 1, whereinthe cleaning member is comprised of: a. a top layer that includes on itstop surface a multiplicity of small openings; b. a bottom layercomprised of a stiff material used for scrubbing; and, c. a layer inbetween said top layer and said bottom layer comprised of a materialcapable of absorbing fluid, and releasing said absorbed fluid whencompressed.
 6. A cleaning device according to claim 6, in which saidcleaning member extends beyond said plate and is comprised of a softer,more compressible material than said plate.
 7. A cleaning deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein said handle member is attached to saidplate through means of a fastener which allows the handle member to beremovable.
 8. A cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein saidhandle is in the shape of a sphere.